"My mother," Castle stopped and looked down for a moment, "Killed my father. To protect me."

Beckett's heart stopped for a moment then raced to catch up with her mind which had already circled the track a few times. She cupped his cheeks in both hands and looked deeply into his guileless blue eyes; her thumbs tracing over the corners of his lips. She felt a small smile crack his handsome face and his blue eyes glittering up at her like a child on Christmas morning. And she knew.

She slammed her hands against his shoulders causing him to roll back in his chair. "You rotten egg sucking son of …." No, she would not insult Martha. Martha had enough to deal with in he son. She stood, ready lambaste him into stew. "I … You …" She could feel the flames of her fury mounting in her chest and face.

Ooops. "Kate, come on. I'm sorry. Really. I was just trying to show you that digging into the past is really a bad idea. You don't know what you will find. You don't know the kind of man Jordon's father is or what kind of family he comes from. He might try to take her from us … you." He had to make her understand. He had dug into her past and now regretted it. He knew that the past could bring incredible pain. Castle was positive that if she began digging she would discover why Richard Alexander Rodgers became Richard Edgar Castle she would discard him like last night's trash. "Tell you what I'm going to do. I'll put a P.I. on it. I'll have this guy investigated quietly. Then you can decide whether to inform him."

Beckett's eyes were cat slits, narrowed and mean. She watched him like a cat that had a mouse in her sights. "You are absolutely right, Castle, about his family. I mean look at his brother!" She slammed her fists against his shoulders again. "How could you do that to me? You are a cruel, cruel man."

Castle jumped to his feet and grabbed her shoulders. This situation was going south faster than retirees heading to Florida in the winter. He opened his mouth to explain again, apologize again and better when a small voice to his left interrupted him. Beckett's and Castle's heads swiveled towards the voice. A small, bald man in a suit was standing a few feet from them. "Excuse me, sir and ma'am. I am David Bertram, the manager. You must lower your voices. I cannot have you disrupting the other guests. Ma'am, you must cease striking him I will be forced to call the police and have you thrown out." Mr. Bertram spine straightened as he looked at the two unruly patrons.

Both Beckett and Castle towered over the manager by several inches. David Bertram took a step back at the looks on his customers' faces. Castle had been thrown out of schools, bars, restaurants, hotels, motels, almost anywhere one could be thrown out of, but Beckett was a NYPD detective. He knew without asking that she had done the throwing and had never even been asked to leave. They probably begged her to stay.

Beckett opened her mouth to identify herself and show her badge, but Castle stepped in front of her effectively blocking her view of the manager. "I am sorry, Mr. Bertram. We were a little noisy. Let me make it up to everyone." He opened his wallet and removed two bills, handing them to the manager. "This should pay for everyone's meals. We will be out of your hair, I mean, we will leave now. Come on, Dear." He pulled Beckett out the door and down the street into an alley before she had time to think of all the ways she was going to hurt him.

Beckett leaned against the dirty brick wall of the alley with her arms crossed and looked at Castle. She knew she should be furious with him over soooo many things he'd done today. The least of which was calling her 'dear' and the most was being his little imaginary story about his mother murdering his father and let us not forget the multiple reasons why it was logical to marry him. But, damn, that was Castle. Life would never be boring with him that is if she didn't kill him first. Because she was pretty sure she could get away with justifiable homicide or they could just call it 'suicide by cop.' As much as he had pissed her off today he did have some very good points in his convoluted way of explaining things. She also had a feeling everything he had said about his parents were not lies, as well as his remark about digging into the past was not just her past he was talking about. Putting all that aside for now, they had to make a decision regarding Jordon. But a lesson had to be taught to this overgrown schoolboy.

Castle faced Beckett with his arms crossed and waited for her to say something. He could apologize again but he had to wait because beyond a shadow of a doubt he knew that she was infuriated with him and anything he said would make it worse. He admitted to himself that she had the right to be angry, but there were things she really should know about his family, his mother and him that only a few select people knew and he really hated telling anyone. But Beckett was not just anyone. He cherished and respected her beyond all reason. Soon they had to have a talk regarding his past, but for now Jordon's future was at stake. That had to come before anything else.

Beckett decided his penalty and sprang into action. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard, forcing his lips open with her tongue, not that he was fighting her. Moments past, his hands began to meander over back and buttocks; hers were making forays into his trousers. He was ready to shove her against the wall and have their way with each other when she pulled away from him, leaving him hot, hard and hungry. Feeling cool air, he looked down and discovered he was also exposed. Beckett resumed her position against the wall, breathing a little heavier but grinning. Castle stepped forward intent on continuing what she had started. She stopped him with a hand against his chest.

"How does it feel to be teased?" She gestured towards his open pants. "Better put that away before some cop arrests you for indecent exposure." She snapped her fingers and then pointed at him. "But that's nothing new, is it, Castle?"

Castle was man enough to admit she had the right to some revenge, but come on, in an alley? When he said that to her she grinned a grin he was really beginning to hate and said "Remys'?" by way of reminding him that his behavior had just gotten them thrown out of their favorite hamburger joint. 'Apparently,' Castle thought disgustedly, 'she was taking no responsibility for any of it.'

"Every time you lie to me, mislead me, or in any way give the wrong impression about anything, I am going to punish you." She winked at him and grinned. "And you will wish I spanked you."

Castle considered her words while he tucked himself away. This could be interesting. He would have to try misleading her later but for now they had bigger fish to fry. "Ok." He really tried to look genuinely contrite, but knew he had missed the mark when she looked at him sadly and shook her head. "What are we going to tell Jordon?" Castle asked.

The sudden change in Castle threw her for a moment. From a bad schoolboy with overactive hormones to a concerned father in a matter of seconds. She thought she should be used to it by now thinking about Alexis. "You're the story teller. You tell me how to not tell her the truth and not lie to her either." Castle frowned and tapped his chin. She could see his mind working. He always had a particular look to him whenever he was working on a theory or a complicated story line. His eyes scanned nothing right to left and back again, like he was reading an invisible book. Occasionally he would cock his head like he was listening to some mysterious voice and then he would smile.

"We tell her the truth, Kate. Only we don't tell her all the truth." He smiled at her and held up his hand. "Let me finish. How does this sound? We tell her she is stuck with me as a relative and that she can now call me 'daddy' because that's what girls call the man their mother loves and marries." He stepped forward, holding out his arms. "Because you do love me and you are going to marry me, right?" He leaned forward and trailed kisses over her cheeks, lips and neck. "I adore you."

Beckett returned his kisses with some of her own. "Great. Yes. Yes." Whatever he said, Ok.

Castle couldn't remember what she was agreeing to because her hands began wandering again. Over his broad back and down over his buttocks. He walked her backwards to the alley wall as he deepened the kiss. His hands found the buttons of her blouse and he felt the lace of her bra when he heard laughter and a voice behind him. Kate stiffened in his arms. She knew that voice. "Oh, God." They both groaned in unison as Castle turned, finding Lanie and Esposito a few feet from them.

"With all your money, bro, and you couldn't get a room?" Esposito laughed. One of his arms about Lanie's waist, holding her to his side and the other was rubbing her other arm. That was new. Aggravation fought with surprise. Lanie was holding on to Esposito because she was laughing so hard she had tears running down her cheeks and couldn't stand by herself, but the casual way they were holding on to each other told Castle what he wanted to know.

Beckett's head dropped onto Castle's chest. Castle, ever the gentleman, moved to cover her chest with his back while she pulled herself together. Lanie's eyes widened and she blushed to almost purple before laughing even harder than before. Esposito couldn't seem to make up his mind whether to laugh or scowl. "Tuck it in, man. Ladies present. I could arrest you for indecent exposure." He looked at his boss with an appreciative eye before saying firmly, "Both of you."

Castle flushed, tucked and zipped – again. Beckett's hands must have been busy in the front, too.

They went back to Remy's with Lanie and Esposito. Castle quickly assured the manager that they would behave themselves and even brought the police to ensure they did. Castle made Esposito show Mr. Bertram his badge. Esposito did as he was asked but intended to have Castle explain it all later. Beckett was still embarrassed but Castle was never one to cry over past deeds. He had no doubt that this was not going to be forgotten by anyone any time soon and Ryan would be told just as soon as he and Beckett left the table.

Lanie, Esposito, Beckett and Castle had lunch while discussing Jordon. Until Castle announced that Beckett had agreed to marry him. He remembered now that the blood had returned to the correct head. Beckett looked at him stunned and then remembered the 'conversation.' "It is going to be a long engagement, Lanie." She told her best female friend when asked when the wedding was to be. A moment later, Lanie decided that Beckett needed to go to the ladies room to freshen up before lunch came.

Esposito watched Lanie and his boss walk away then turned evil eyes on his favorite writer. "So, marriage, huh. That was fast." Esposito raised an eyebrow at Castle. "Is Beckett's kid the reason you're willing to tie the knot for a third time?"

Castle felt his temper rise. He liked Esposito but the man had a way of pushing Castle's buttons. He could make Castle go from calm to deadly furious in .02 seconds. He pushed his anger back down. He was getting sick of that question. "I asked her to marry me because I cannot imagine my life without Beckett in it. Jordon is like a wonderful dessert to go with the main dish."

"And Beckett agreed just like that?" Esposito queried.

"How long have you known Katherine Beckett? Must have just met her to think that." Castle grinned to himself. "In case you are unaware of it, your boss is 120 pounds of stubbornness, aggravation, defiance, and determination wrapped in a casing of silky skin and breathtaking beauty."

Esposito smiled cheerfully at the man he admired. Yep, Jordon was just icing on the cake.

"So, you and Lanie?" Castle asked turning it back on Esposito. "Niiiice!"

The men tapped fingers and agreed that life was good.

"Honey, I hope you know what you are doing." Lanie said to Kate while Kate tried to repair the damage her little alley event had wrought.

"To which 'doing' are you talking about? My hair which is a rat's nest? My blouse where I have three missing buttons? Jordon? Castle? Marriage? Which, Lanie?" She knew she was being a tiny bit testy, but her life was spiraling out of her control and she freely admitted she was a control freak.

Lanie pushed Beckett down on a chair and started on Kate's hair. She felt for her friend. She knew how much Kate Beckett valued control. She was the type of woman that every 'T' had to be crossed, every question answered, every why known. A female Sgt Joe Friday, 'Just the facts, ma'am' of Dragnet fame. And Castle confused her. Though Lanie bet, a civilian Kate Beckett, pre murder of her mother, would have given Castle a run for his money, all of it.

"You going to marry him?" Lanie smiled as Beckett blushed." Does he have a license for that concealed weapon of his or were you just frisking him to see if it was loaded? Girl, with that equipment I might just borrow him for awhile." Lanie waved her hand in front of her face as if she was hot. "Gimme some more ice water."

Beckett looked her with a sideway smile. "You sure Esposito would like you checking the load of Castle's weapon? You and he looked pretty chummy there."

"You don't know anything. You were too busy hiding your face in your man's chest, turning red and mumbling "Oh, God" and I know Castle didn't make you call out for him this time." Lanie shot back.

The ladies looked at each other and began laughing. Life was good.

It was after three when the couples departed. Beckett was calmer about her decisions now than previously. They had eaten, talked, shared experiences, and explained the careful watching of the Mr. David Bertram and decided Jordon's future.

Now it was time to face Jordon and all of her many questions.